All fruit, after they have been harvested, are subject to attack by organisms such as molds or fungi which cause decay of the picked fruit. Decay of fresh fruit is a serious problem and causes losses in the millions of dollars.
In addition to decay of fresh fruit there is a problem of the sporulation of molds and fungi which are growing on the fruit. Molds and fungi will attack and cause decay of the specific fruit which they are in contact with, and if they sporulate the molds and fungi spoil adjacent fruit and render them unsellable.
In the past, generally one compound was applied to the fruit in order to prevent decay of the fruit due to molds and fungi and another compound applied to the surface of the fruit in order to prevent or inhibit sporulation of said molds and fungi. It is self-evident that utilizing two separate operations to prevent decay and sporulation is uneconomical and, in addition, the most prevalent compound (biphenyl) utilized in preventing sporulation of fruit has many objectionable disadvantages, such as the very strong odor found on fruit treated with biphenyl.
It has therefore long been a desideratum in the art to discover a composition of matter which could replace biphenyl as a sporulation inhibitor and also to develop a composition of matter which could both prevent decay on fresh fruit and inhibit sporulation of molds and fungi growing on such fruit.